Unified system for progressive and interlaced video transmission

ABSTRACT

A system and method that support both progressive and interlaced format video transmission and display. The system utilizes de-interlacing techniques to convert input interlaced format video to progressive format video, and compress and vertically scale the progressive format video to communicate videos more efficiently in a progressive format. The system also supports interlaced and progressive displays, where after decompressing and vertically resealing the communicated compressed progressive format video, the video may be converted to interlaced format if the display supports interlaced format video. The system is capable of dynamically switching between the progressive and the interlaced format modes.

RELATED APPLICATIONS

This patent application makes reference to, claims priority to andclaims benefit from U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No.60/513,830, entitled “Unified System for Progressive and InterlacedVideo Transmission,” filed on Oct. 23, 2003.

The complete subject matter of the above-referenced U.S. patentapplication is hereby incorporated herein by reference, in its entirety.In addition, this application makes reference to U.S. patent applicationSer. No. 10/293,858, entitled “System And Method For VerticalCompression and De-Compression of Progressive Video Data,” publicationdate Jun. 5, 2003, and U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/293,730,entitled “System And Method For Aligned Compression of InterlacedVideo,” publication date May 22, 2003, the complete subject matter ofeach of which is hereby incorporated herein by reference, in itsentirety.

FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT

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MICROFICHE/COPYRIGHT REFERENCE

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BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

In the field of video compression, communication, decompression, anddisplay, there have been for many years problems associated withsupporting both interlaced content and interlaced displays along withprogressive content and progressive displays. There are serioustechnical issues with merging progressive systems and interlacedsystems, and as a result there are separate, largely incompatiblesystems in use. There are strong motivations to design a common system,to have content-compatible systems for all types of displays, to supportthe coming generation of progressive display Televisions (TVs), and tosupport the most efficient compression of video in new compressionstandards.

Digital compression schemes that are optimized for interlaced videocontent are more complex than those designed for progressive video, andthe degree of added complexity associated with interlaced codingincreases as other aspects of the compression schemes also become morecomplex, in the ongoing effort to provide more efficient compression. Asa result, the use of interlaced coding tools is becoming increasinglyless attractive.

Conventional TVs, and almost all TVs in use today, use the interlacedscanning method that was introduced many decades ago. Virtually all TVbroadcasts and recorded video content intended for TV display are ininterlaced format. On the other hand, almost all personal computers(PCs) use progressive scanning displays, and compressed video availableover the Internet and compressed video for PCs are in progressive formatas well. Hence, there is a problem now in that TVs use one format, whilePCs use another.

In the realm of high definition televisions (HDTV), there was a conflictwhether interlaced format or progressive format should be used forbroadcast, and the result is that both formats are in use, with therequirement that HDTVs be able to convert between them to support bothtypes of content and, in some cases, both types of display.

A set of HDTV video formats, as defined by Advanced Television StandardsCommittee (ATSC), includes a progressive format at 1280×720/60 p (60frames per second (fps) progressive) and an interlaced format1920×1080/30 i (30 fps interlaced). These two formats are commonly used,and there are converters that convert back and forth between them.However, the standard for the progressive format of 1280×720 onlysupports frames or images with 1280 pixels per line or less, whichrequires the interlaced format of 1920×1080/30 i to be horizontallyscaled down to 1280 or less, which may not be desirable. This standardalso requires using the interlaced coding tools, which increase thecomplexity of a system.

The problem many systems are faced with is the complexity of digitallycompressing interlaced content. Fields of interlaced frames arespatially and temporally separated. One approach to deal with thisproblem is to treat interlaced video frames as if each field were aprogressive video frame. There are several problems with this approach.Each field contains only half the vertical resolution of the originalframe, so treating a field as if it were a frame causes a loss ofresolution and aliasing of vertical detail. Also, the even and oddfields represent different vertical sampling positions, makingmotion-compensated compression more difficult.

Another approach that has been used is to take 30 fps interlaced video,which is 60 fields per second, and convert it to 30 fps progressive bysome means. One problem in such an approach is that temporal detail isbeing thrown away, because each field of interlaced video is sampled ata unique time, with 60 samples per second in this example, and theresult of this conversion has only 30 samples per second. Methods thatconvert interlaced video into progressive video format, known asde-interlacers, are well known in the art. A representative publishedpaper that gives an overview of de-interlacing methods is:“Deinterlacing-an overview,” De Haan, G.; Bellers, E. B.; Proceedings ofthe EEE, Volume: 86 Issue: 9, September 1998 Page(s): 1839-1857.

Other compression techniques have been used by standards such as theMPEG-2 standard where interlaced video is directly compressed. Onemethod uses frame pictures where two interlaced fields are interleaveddirectly and treated as a frame. Another method uses field pictureswhere each interlaced field is treated as a picture. Yet another methoduses field coded frame pictures where frame pictures resulting frominterleaving two interlaced fields are compressed using static ordynamic field and frame coding methods, including inter-frame predictionusing frame or field prediction and field or frame transform coding ofthe residual signal.

The MPEG AVC (Audio-Visual Coding) standard (a.k.a. ITU H.264) isanother example of a standard that uses a compression method thatincludes explicit coding tools for interlaced content. In the example ofMPEG AVC, the combination of explicit interlaced coding with an adaptiveloop filter, direct mode motion compensation and other moderncompression techniques results in substantially increased complexity ofboth encoders and decoders.

In order to make widespread use of new compression formats, it is highlydesirable that the vast range of content meant for TVs be supported, andthat TV displays also be supported, in an efficient and cost effectivemanner, without adding undue complexity to the compression anddecompression systems.

Further limitations and disadvantages of conventional and traditionalapproaches will become apparent to one of ordinary skill in the artthrough comparison of such systems with the present invention.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Aspects of the present invention may be seen in a system that transmitsand displays interlaced and progressive format input video, wherein thetransmission is done in progressive format, and the displayed video hasno perceptible loss of vertical and temporal resolution. The system maycomprise an encoding end comprising at least one first element thatconverts an input video in interlaced format to video in progressiveformat, and at least one second element that vertically scales down thevideo in progressive format. The at least one first element may utilizea de-interlacing technique. In an embodiment of the present invention,the at least one first element and the at least one second element maycomprise separate physical devices. The at least one second element mayutilize the Kell factor in vertically scaling down the video inprogressive format.

In an embodiment of the present invention, the encoding end may compriseat least one third element that compresses the video in progressiveformat utilizing a compression technique.

The system may also comprise a decoding end, wherein the encoding endcommunicates the compressed video in progressive format to the decodingend. The decoding end may comprise at least one fourth element thatdecompresses the communicated compressed video in progressive format.

The system may also comprise a display that receives an output from thedecoding end. The decompressed video in progressive format may bedisplayed on the display. In an embodiment of the present invention, thedecoding end may comprise at least one fifth element that converts thedecompressed video in progressive format to video in interlaced formatfor display.

Aspects of the present invention also provide a method for transmittingand displaying interlaced and progressive format input video, whereinthe transmitting is done in progressive format, and the displayed videohas no perceptible loss of at least one of vertical and temporalresolution. The method may comprise converting input video toprogressive format, if input video is in interlaced format, and scalingdown the video in progressive format vertically. The converting mayutilize a de-interlacing technique. The method may also comprisedecompressing the compressed video in progressive format.

In an embodiment of the present invention, the method may additionallycomprise displaying the decompressed video in progressive format on adisplay that supports progressive format display. In another embodimentof the present invention, the method may comprise converting thedecompressed video from progressive format to interlaced format, anddisplaying the video in interlaced format on a display.

These and other features and advantages of the present invention may beappreciated from a review of the following detailed description of thepresent invention, along with the accompanying figures in which likereference numerals refer to like parts throughout.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 illustrates an exemplary system for transmitting and displayinginterlaced and progressive content, in accordance with an embodiment ofthe present invention.

FIG. 2 illustrates an exemplary process of compression, transmission anddecompression of progressive video including vertical scaling, inaccordance with an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 illustrates an exemplary flowchart of a method for verticalcompression and de-compression of video data using poly-phase filteringto perform low-pass filtering and sample rate conversion in accordancewith an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 illustrates an exemplary block diagram of an apparatus forcompressing and de-compressing video data comprising poly-phase filtersin accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Aspects of the present invention relate to a complete end-to-endcompression, transmission, and decompression system, which transmitscontent in progressive format, even when the content entering thecompression system is in interlaced format, and even when the displaydevice following decompression supports only interlaced video.

FIG. 1 illustrates an exemplary system 101 for transmitting anddisplaying interlaced and progressive content, in accordance with anembodiment of the present invention. In an embodiment of the presentinvention, video in interlaced format may be the input 103 to thesystem. The interlaced content may then be converted to progressiveformat. The resulting progressive format video may have a frame rateequal to either the field rate or the frame rate of the interlacedcontent. In an embodiment of the present invention, utilizing aprogressive frame rate equal to the interlaced field rate may yieldresults with higher video quality. In another embodiment of the presentinvention, utilizing a progressive frame rate equal to the interlacedframe rate (i.e., half the field rate) may yield a lower compressed bitrate at the expense of reduced video quality. Such an embodiment may beutilized where there is little inter-field motion in the interlacedcontent or the lower bit rate justifies a possible reduction in thevideo quality.

The conversion of interlaced format to progressive format may beaccomplished using any of a wide variety of de-interlacing methods 105.In an embodiment of the present invention, a method of de-interlacingsuch as motion-adaptive de-interlacing may be used. In anotherembodiment of the present invention, vertical phase shifting ofinterlaced fields may be used to convert from interlaced format toprogressive format. Examples of de-interlacing methods may be found inU.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/293,730, entitled “System And MethodFor Aligned Compression of Interlaced Video,” publication date May 22,2003, the complete subject matter of which is hereby incorporated hereinby reference, in its entirety.

In an embodiment of the present invention, the de-interlacing may bedone independently from the encoder. In such an embodiment, anyappropriate de-interlacing tool may be utilized.

In an embodiment of the present invention, the uncompressed progressivecontent, which may result from the conversion, may be scaled to a sizeconsistent with the desired resolution for the display or it may becompressed 108. In an embodiment of the present invention, wheninterlaced content is converted to progressive format with a frame rateequal to the interlaced field rate, the progressive format may bevertically scaled down 107 such that there is no perceptual loss ofresolution when the final decompressed content is converted back tointerlaced format.

FIG. 2 illustrates an exemplary process 201 of compression, transmissionand decompression of progressive video including vertical scaling, inaccordance with an embodiment of the present invention. In an embodimentof the present invention, the input may be a progressive video 203 at,for example, 720×480 pixels per frame. The progressive video may then bevertically scaled utilizing, for example, a vertical low pass filteringand sample rate conversion step 205. The result may be a verticallyscaled video 207 at a size such as, for example, 720×320 pixels perframe (i.e., a vertical scale down by a factor of two thirds). In anembodiment of the present invention, the video may be compressed furtherusing any of a plurality of compression methods well known in the fieldof video compression 209. The compressed progressive video may then betransmitted or stored using any one of many known storage methods anddevices at step 211. The video decompression process 213 may then beused to restore the compressed progressive video to its size beforecompression (i.e., 720×320 pixels per frame). Vertical sample rateconversion 215 may then be utilized to restore the vertically scaleddown progressive video to its original size. As a result, the output 217may be the progressive video at 720×480 pixels per frame, the same asthe input 203.

The progressive format content may be scaled down vertically with noperceptual loss of resolution due to the “Kell factor.” The humanperception of vertical resolution in interlaced video is limited toapproximately 0.6 to 0.7 of the total number of samples (scan lines)measured in the vertical direction. As a result, for example, 480 lineinterlaced video frames, approximately 0.6*480=288 to 0.7*480=330 linesin de-interlaced progressive frames may contain adequate information toconvey a perceptually equivalent image. In an embodiment of the presentinvention, the input video may be in progressive format and intended fordisplay on a display device supporting interlaced format video. Inanother embodiment of the present invention, the input video may be inprogressive format intended for display on a display device supportingprogressive format video. In yet another embodiment of the presentinvention, the input video may be in interlaced format. In embodimentsof the present invention, vertically scaling down an image by the “Kellfactor” before transmission, and vertically scaling up the image beforedisplay yields an image perceptually equivalent to an image that was notvertically scaled, in that to the human eye no difference may be seenbetween the two images. Consequentially, video in progressive formatwith 288 to 330 scan lines may be adequate to support 480 lineinterlaced displays, such as conventional TVs in North America. Similarconversions may apply to other interlaced systems such as, for example,systems that use 576 lines as used in many other parts of the world, orto high definition video systems such as, for example, systems that use1080 lines per frame. Therefore, the unified progressive-interlacedsystem may transmit, for example, 288 lines per frame of progressivecontent at 60 fps and convey sufficient information to support fullquality display on an interlaced TV with 480 lines and 60 fields persecond, with no perceptual loss of either spatial or temporalresolution, while transmitting the progressive format video at arelatively low bit rate.

In an embodiment of the present invention, referring to FIG. 1,progressive content may be compressed using a video compressor 108 andtransmitted using transmission or storage 109 at a frame rate that isadequate to convey temporal details. In an embodiment of the presentinvention, the frame rate may be, for example, 25 fps in the case of 50Hz interlaced content (25 Hz frame rate), which may yield littleinter-field motion and low bit rates. In another embodiment of thepresent invention, the frame rate may be 60 fps in the case of 60 Hzinterlaced content, which may yield the best resulting video quality. Insuch an embodiment, the additional compressed bit rate, which istransmitted to support 60 fps as compared to 30 fps for the samecontent, is generally very small in cases where there may not be muchinter-field motion, since intervening frames may be predicted fromprevious frames. In an embodiment of the present invention, usingmulti-frame prediction techniques in the compression step may beutilized in compressing 60 fps content efficiently. Considering that thehuman visual system is insensitive to spatial detail combined with fasttemporal motion, some blurring of the image and subsequent furthercompression may be acceptable in parts of the video where 60 fps may berequired for temporal resolution. The encoder may blur the image inregions where there may be fast motion; such blurring may result in areduced compressed bit rate. In other embodiments of the presentinvention, other compression methods may be considered such as, forexample, motion compensated prediction.

The progressive content may then be vertically scaled using a verticalscaler 107 and compressed with a video compressor 108, transmitted usinga method or device of transmission or storage 109, received, anddecompressed utilizing a decompressor 111. In an embodiment of thepresent invention, the decompressed progressive content may then bescaled and converted to interlaced format 113, when interlaced output isrequired for interlaced displays 115. In such an embodiment, convertingto interlaced format may require scaling, i.e., changing the size of thevideo to match the display, and it may also require vertical phase shiftadjustment to match the content to the interlaced display. For example,a video may have been compressed and transmitted with a picture size of704×330 at 60fps, progressive. In one embodiment of the presentinvention, video with 330 lines per frame may be decompressed and thenscaled down to 240 lines per field of interlaced video, and at the sametime the scaling is done, the vertical phase (or position) of the videomay be shifted up or down by one-half a display line height. In anotherembodiment of the present invention, the 330 lines per frame may bescaled up to 480 lines per frame, for example, and either the even orodd lines of the result may be sent to an interlaced display, dependingon the instantaneous (alternating) field polarity of the display.

In another embodiment of the present invention, the decompressedprogressive content may be scaled and displayed as progressive content117 displaying on progressive displays 119. In an embodiment of thepresent invention, the system 101 may have an interlaced display 115. Inanother embodiment of the present invention, the system 101 may have aprogressive display 119. In yet another embodiment of the presentinvention, the system 101 may have both an interlaced display 115 and aprogressive display 119.

In an embodiment of the present invention, horizontal scaling of thevideo after, before or simultaneously with vertical scaling 107 andbefore compression 108 may be performed. Additionally, horizontalscaling of the video after decompression 111 and before, after orsimultaneously with vertical scaling 113 may also be performed. Forexample, NTSC (National Television System Committee) video, which isinterlaced, at 29.97 fps, 704 samples per line and 480 lines per frame,may be de-interlaced to form a progressive video at 59.94 fps, 704samples per line and 80 lines per frame. The progressive video may thenbe vertically compressed by a factor of 0.6, for example, resulting in aprogressive video at 59.94 fps, 704 samples per line and 288 lines perframe. The video may also be scaled horizontally to 544 samples perline, for example. The vertical and horizontal scaling may be performedin either order, or simultaneously. The resulting 544×288 59.94 fpsprogressive video may be compressed, transmitted, received, anddecompressed. Following decompression the 544×288 59.94 fps progressivevideo may be converted to NTSC-compatible video, i.e. interlaced, 29.97fps, 704 samples per line and 480 lines per frame, or 59.94 fields persecond, 704 samples per line and 240 lines per field. In cases where thereceiver has a progressive display, the decompressed video may be scaledto a size appropriate for display on the progressive display device,without conversion to interlaced format.

FIG. 3 illustrates an exemplary method 300 for vertical compression andde-compression of video data using poly-phase filtering to performlow-pass filtering and sample rate conversion in accordance with anembodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 illustrates an exemplary block diagram of an apparatus 400 forcompressing and de-compressing video data comprising poly-phase filtersin accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 3 and FIG. 4, in one embodiment of the presentinvention, the method 300 may take an input stream of video content instep 301. In an embodiment of the present invention, the input stream ofvideo may be in interlaced format at step 301. In such an embodiment,the input video at step 301 may be de-interlaced at step 302 using ade-interlacer such as, for example, de-interlacer 401. In anotherembodiment of the present invention, the input stream of video may be inprogressive format at step 301. In such an embodiment, the input videoat step 301 may bypass the de-interlacing at step 302 and go straight tostep 303. In embodiments of the present invention, the video being inputinto step 303 is in progressive format having a picture size of, forexample, 720×480 pixels per frame. The video content may then below-pass filtered and sample-rate converted in step 303, to reduce thevertical picture height to, for example, 320 lines. The low-passfiltering and sample rate conversion may be accomplished by means of avertical video data processor such as, for example, the vertical videodata processor 403 comprising poly-phase filters 405. Examples ofpoly-phase filters may be found in U.S. patent application publicationSer. No. 10/293,858, entitled “System And Method For VerticalCompression and De-Compression of Progressive Video Data,” publicationdate Jun. 5, 2003, the complete subject matter of which is herebyincorporated herein by reference, in its entirety. In the example, theresulting vertically scaled video now has a frame size of 720×320 pixelsper frame. The vertically scaled video may be passed on for videocompression in step 307, which may further reduce the overall picturesize and reduce the bit rate for transmission or storage. Thecompression process may be achieved by means of a horizontal video datascaler such as, for example, the horizontal video data scaler 409 and avideo data compressor such as, for example, the video data compressor407 implementing a standard compression technique such as, for example,MPEG-1, MPEG-2, MPEG-4, or MPEG-AVC. The video may then be transmittedor stored in step 309 using, for example, storage media 421.

When the video is received (i.e. either directly or from storage, as thecase may be), the video may be de-compressed in step 311 using ade-compression process that corresponds to the compression processperformed in step 307. The de-compression process may be achieved bymeans of a video data de-compressor such as, for example, the video datade-compressor 413 implementing a standard de-compression technique suchas, for example, MPEG-1, MPEG-2, MPEG-4, or MPEG-AVC. In an embodimentof the present invention, the de-compression process may be furtherachieved by an additional horizontal video data de-scaler such as, forexample, the horizontal video data de-scaler 415. In the example, theresulting video now has a pixel size of 720×320 pixels per frame,corresponding to the vertically scaled video data in step 305. Thevertically scaled video may then be passed in step 313 to vertical videore-processor such as, for example, the vertical video data re-processor417 comprising poly-phase filters 415, which may result in sample rateconversion of the video at step 315. In the example, the resultingde-compressed video may be output at 720×480 pixels per frame at step317 and may then be transmitted to a progressive video display such as,for example, the progressive video display 423. In another embodiment ofthe present invention, the de-compressed video with a resolution of720×480 pixels per frame may be converted to interlaced format fordisplay on an interlaced display device. In an embodiment of the presentinvention, the vertical scaling step may precede the horizontal scalingstep. In another embodiment of the present invention, the verticalscaling and the horizontal scaling may be performed simultaneously.

In an embodiment of the present invention, the system may dynamicallyswitch between the progressive and the interlaced format modes such thatthe input to the system may be in interlaced or progressive format, andthe output or display may support interlaced or progressive format. Theinput may be dynamically converted, based on its format, then input intothe system, and at the display, the output of the system may bedynamically converted to a format appropriate for the display device.For example, a video may be sent to a PC, which has a progressivedisplay. A video in progressive format may be sent through the system,in which case, the system need not do any de-interlacing and convertingto interlaced format, so the progressive content is simply verticallyscaled down, compressed, decompressed, vertically scaled up, anddisplayed on the progressive display. However, a next video clip may bein interlaced format and sent to the same display. In such a case, thesystem of the present invention, may dynamically switch to the modewhere the interlaced content is de-interlaced (converted toprogressive), vertically scaled down, compressed, decompressed,vertically scaled up, and displayed on the progressive display.

In another embodiment of the present invention, the system may have aninterlaced display such as, for example, a TV. In such an embodiment,the input video may be in progressive format, in which case, the systemneed not do any de-interlacing, so the progressive content is verticallyscaled down, compressed, decompressed, vertically scaled up, andconverted to interlaced format then displayed on the interlaced display.However, a next video clip may be in interlaced format. In such a case,the system of the present invention may dynamically switch to the modewhere the interlaced content is de-interlaced (converted toprogressive), vertically scaled down, compressed, decompressed,vertically scaled up, converted back to interlaced format, and displayedon the interlaced display. In yet another embodiment of the presentinvention, as an alternative to scaling up vertically and converting tointerlaced format for display, the video may be scaled down verticallyand converted to interlaced format for display.

In an embodiment of the present invention, the system may supportdisplaying both progressive and interlaced format video. In such anembodiment, the system may dynamically switch between the two displays,based on the type of display on which the input video may have beenintended to be displayed. In another embodiment of the presentinvention, the system may provide outputs to both progressive andinterlaced displays simultaneously.

Embodiments of the present invention may be implemented as a board levelproduct, as a single chip, application specific integrated circuit(ASIC), or with varying portions integrated on a single chip with otherportions of the system as separate components. In an embodiment of thepresent invention, the transmitting side of the system, from the inputvideo to the transmitted output, may be implemented on one or morechips. Similarly, the receiving side of the system, from the receivedinput, which is the signal transmitted by the transmitting side, to theoutput video to the display device, may be implemented on one or morechips. The degree of integration of the system may primarily bedetermined by speed and cost considerations. For example, because of thesophisticated nature of modern processors, it is possible to utilize acommercially available processor, which may be implemented external toan ASIC implementation of the present system. Alternatively, if theprocessor is available as an ASIC core or logic block, then thecommercially available processor can be implemented as part of an ASICdevice with various functions implemented as firmware.

While the present invention has been described with reference to certainembodiments, it will be understood by those skilled in the art thatvarious changes may be made and equivalents may be substituted withoutdeparting from the scope of the present invention. In addition, manymodifications may be made to adapt a particular situation or material tothe teachings of the present invention without departing from its scope.Therefore, it is intended that the present invention not be limited tothe particular embodiment disclosed, but that the present invention willinclude all embodiments falling within the scope of the appended claims.

1. A system that transmits and displays interlaced and progressiveformat input video, wherein the transmission is done in progressiveformat, and the displayed video has no perceptible loss of vertical andtemporal resolution.
 2. The system according to claim 1 furthercomprising an encoding end comprising: at least one first element thatconverts an input video in interlaced format to video in progressiveformat; and at least one second element that vertically scales down thevideo in progressive format.
 3. The system according to claim 2 whereinthe at least one first element utilizes a de-interlacing technique. 4.The system according to claim 2 wherein the at least one first elementand the at least one second element comprise separate physical devices.5. The system according to claim 2 wherein the at least one secondelement utilizes the Kell factor in vertically scaling down the video inprogressive format.
 6. The system according to claim 2 wherein theencoding end further comprises at least one third element thatcompresses the video in progressive format utilizing a compressiontechnique.
 7. The system according to claim 2 further comprising adecoding end, wherein the encoding end communicates the compressed videoin progressive format to the decoding end.
 8. The system according toclaim 7 wherein the decoding end further comprises at least one fourthelement that decompresses the communicated compressed video inprogressive format.
 9. The system according to claim 7 furthercomprising a display that receives an output from the decoding end. 10.The system according to claim 9 wherein the decompressed video inprogressive format is displayed on the display.
 11. The system accordingto claim 9 wherein the decoding end further comprises at least one fifthelement that converts the decompressed video in progressive format tovideo in interlaced format for display.
 12. A method for transmittingand displaying interlaced and progressive format input video, whereinthe transmitting is done in progressive format, and the displayed videohas no perceptible loss of at least one of vertical and temporalresolution, the method comprising: converting input video to progressiveformat, if input video is in interlaced format; and scaling down thevideo in progressive format vertically.
 13. The method according toclaim 12 wherein the converting utilizes a de-interlacing technique. 14.The method according to claim 12 further comprising decompressing thecompressed video in progressive format.
 15. The method according toclaim 14 further comprising displaying the decompressed video inprogressive format on a display that supports progressive formatdisplay.
 16. The method according to claim 14 further comprising:converting the decompressed video from progressive format to interlacedformat; and displaying the video in interlaced format on a display. 17.A system that transmits interlaced and progressive format input video,wherein the transmission is done in progressive format, the systemcomprising: at least one first element that converts an input video ininterlaced format to video in progressive format; and at least onesecond element that vertically scales down the video in progressiveformat.
 18. The system according to claim 17 wherein the at least onefirst element utilizes a de-interlacing technique.
 19. The systemaccording to claim 17 wherein the at least one second element utilizesthe Kell factor in vertically scaling down the video in progressiveformat.
 20. The system according to claim 17 further comprising at leastone third element that compresses the video in progressive formatutilizing a compression technique.
 21. A system that receives interlacedand progressive format input video, wherein the received video isvertically scaled down and is in progressive format, the systemcomprising at least one first element that decompresses and verticallyscales the received compressed video.
 22. The system according to claim21 wherein a display receives an output from the system.
 23. The systemaccording to claim 22 wherein the decompressed video in progressiveformat is displayed on the display.
 24. The system according to claim 22further comprising at least one second element that converts thedecompressed video in progressive format to video in interlaced formatand displays it on the display.
 25. The system according to claim 24wherein the display is an interlaced display.
 26. The system accordingto claim 25 wherein the vertical height of the received progressiveformat video is greater than the vertical height of the interlaceddisplay, and the width of the received progressive fornat video isgreater than two-thirds of the width of the interlaced display.